The standoff over the homes of the militants began late Saturday when Mohammed Baroud, a local leader of a violent group, the Popular Resistance Committees, was informed by the army that his house would be hit. The three-story building is home to 17 people from Baroud's clan. Another militant, from Hamas, also received a warning.

They were warned that the houses would be attacked by the Israeli Army in order to save innocent lives.

Instead of leaving, the two decided to stay in their homes and called in reinforcements. They were quickly joined by crowds of supporters, including dozens of armed men, who gathered on balconies, rooftops and in the streets outside. Local mosques and Palestinian TV and radio stations also mobilized supporters.

Wha... You mean that the very mosques of the "religion of peace" would support terrorists? I'm soooo shocked.

Baroud, involved in rocket attacks on Israel, said he and his fellow militants had planned the response a few days earlier, after another house was destroyed in a missile strike.

By Sunday afternoon, about two dozen women were milling around on Baroud's roof, shielded from the sun by green tarp. On the floor below them, about a dozen men were resting on mattresses.

Women and children (die) first, after all. And hey, who can say they don't care? After all, they did provide the ladies with some shade.

Baroud's mother, Umm Wael, said shifts had been organized in preparation for a long standoff. "Where should we go?" she said. "We will stay here or die in the house. Let them bring it down on our heads."

I don't have a problem with that...

Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas stopped by to show his support. "We are so proud of this national stand. It's the first step toward protecting our homes, the homes of our children," he said.

Is he kidding? They're using them as human frickin' shields!

The army said it called off the nighttime airstrikes because of the large crowds. It condemned what it said was a cynical exploitation "by the terrorists of uninvolved people as human shields."

Why, ladies and gentlemen, do we suffer these terrorists to live? They are beyond evil, devoid of any sort of honor or humanity. What is Israel to do if it is to survive? They are facing an enemy who exploits their civility...What choice do they have BUT to eradicate these vermin?